


"Why are you helping me?"

by 100SleeplessNights



Series: Tumblr Dialogue Prompts [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, Pre-Slash, Short, Short One Shot, dialogue prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-12 16:24:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15998957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/100SleeplessNights/pseuds/100SleeplessNights
Summary: Harry is struggling with his Potions essay and Draco decides to help him.





	"Why are you helping me?"

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not writing the next chapter of Nightmares & Violins as fast as I want to, so here's another Tumblr Dialogue Prompt fic I wrote :)

Harry was sitting on a couch in the Eighth Year common room, trying to finish his Potions essay due the next morning and as close to sleep as he could be while still keeping his eyes open when someone sat down just a few inches from him.

“It’s wormwood, not birchwood,” Malfoy drawled.

Harry’s head snapped around, suddenly feeling much more awake again, to see if he had misheard but it seemed he hadn’t. Malfoy was sitting next to him, frown firmly in place on his face and hair still looking immaculate even though he had been one of the first to leave the common room to go to bed. Once his brain had comprehended the fact that Malfoy was sitting next to him and – which was even more shocking – voluntarily helping him, his startled expression made space for confusion.

“What are you doing here? **Why are you helping me?** ” he asked as snappish as it was possible considering how tired he was.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. “You look pathetic just sitting there and staring at your Potions book as though it will tell you everything you need to know if you just stare hard enough.”

Harry suppressed a sigh because Malfoy wasn’t exactly wrong. Not necessarily about him looking pathetic but about him staring at his Potions book hoping it would just give him the information he wanted.

“Would you tutor me?” Harry asked Malfoy then and surprised himself as much with the question as he did Malfoy. If anyone asked him what had led him to ask this question, he would blame his tiredness.

“Only if you help me with DADA,” Malfoy said when he had caught himself again.

Harry could only stare at Malfoy. Two surprises, even though one had been his own fault, were too much for him and his brain temporarily stopped working.

“Oh, I see how it is,” Malfoy said when Harry still hadn’t recovered a minute later. “You just want to profit off the Death Eater without offering anything in return.”

Malfoy had already stood up again when Harry’s brain finally resumed working.

“No, wait!” he said maybe a little too loudly in his hurry to keep Draco there. He moved to grab Malfoy’s hand to further keep him from leaving but stopped himself before he could. He had seen how Malfoy reacted even to accidental touches since the war and he didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, especially not now.

“What, Potter?” Malfoy snapped and while he didn’t sit back down he at least turned to face Harry.

“I can help you with DADA,” Harry hurried to say. “You just caught me off-guard. I didn’t expect you to even consider tutoring me to be honest.”

Malfoy gave him a jerky nod and then walked towards the stairs leading to the dormitories. When he reached the foot of the stairs he turned his head. “Meet me at the unused Potions classroom tomorrow after classes,” he said and then climbed the stairs two at a time without waiting for an answer from Harry.

“I’ll be there,” Harry said to his Potions book and then closed it for the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments keep me motivated.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: [@asexual-lovegood](http://asexual-lovegood.tumblr.com/)


End file.
